


Just Yourself

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Birthday AUs [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, This is my contribution to celebrating Tendou's birthday, here have TenSemi fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-08 15:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6860050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a demon, Semi can offer Tendou anything, but the cost would be Tendou's humanity.<br/>That's okay, because Tendou doesn't want much, and he's not attached to his own humanity. </p><p>As a human, Tendou feels like he has almost nothing to offer Semi.<br/>But that's okay too, because the one thing Tendou can offer is the one thing Semi wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Yourself

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be about Tendou and it ended up being a mini TenSemi AU? And it feels like it's kind of more about Semi? Oops?

"Eita!" Tendou sang out, bouncing up to his boyfriend and throwing his arms around Semi's neck. Semi staggered from the unexpected weight. 

"Satori, get off," Semi complained, reaching up to ruffle Tendou's hair. When Tendou leaned into the touch, though, instead of continuing, Semi dropped his hand and shoved lightly at his shoulder. "Seriously. We're going to be late for practice." Tendou frowned, but let himself be pushed away. Something was bothering Semi, but Tendou didn't know what it could be. Practice went normally, but as soon as they were alone, Semi was distant again. Tendou resolved to get to the bottom of this, but he knew he couldn't make Semi talk to him.

"Hey, Eita, tomorrow's my birthday. Want to come over? You can stay the night," Tendou suggested. He was excited for his birthday, but he also wanted to have a chance to get Semi alone so he could figure out what was bothering him. Semi hesitated, and Tendou wondered if this was what it felt like for his heart to just stop beating. 

"All right," Semi agreed after a moment. Tendou tried to be relieved, to be happy Semi had agreed, but that pause haunted him all through the walk home as he tried to make small talk, all though dinner while Tendou's parents chatted happily, discussing their days, and all through an hour of studying as Tendou and Semi worked on their homework together, side by side on Tendou's bed. 

"Hey, Eita?" Tendou murmured as he stared down at a math problem that would probably have made a lot more sense to him if his mind wasn't still caught on the way Semi had hesitated, the way he'd been sullen and reserved all day. Semi made a curious noise as he wrote an answer in his notebook. "Did I do something wrong?" Beside him, Semi shifted to stare at Tendou.

"Why would you think that?" Semi asked.

"You've been really quiet all day. I thought maybe I did something," Tendou answered. "You're not planning on breaking up with me or something, are you?" Semi's entire body went rigid, and Tendou's blood ran cold. "Eita? Are you...?"

"Never," Semi snapped, something that might have been fury or desperation in his voice. "Except..." Tendou's pencil fell from his fingers as he sat up. Except? Except what? Semi, still laying on his stomach, his books laid out in front of him, turned his head to look up at Tendou, who noticed that Semi had slipped into his true form without Tendou realizing exactly when he did it. Semi's eyes were crimson, shining in the light, and a pair of golden horns tipped in shadows were visible on his head, protruding from his hair. "Our contract ends when your birthday does, Satori. So while I would never break up with you, after tomorrow, I'm expecting you to break up with me." Tendou gaped at him. Honestly, it had been ages since he thought about the contract between them, made when Tendou was a child who was picked on for his looks, desperate to fit in. 

Semi, donning the appearance of a child, had comforted him and offered him a deal: the power to alter his own form in exchange for ten years of his life. Tendou had agreed, because he was a child and didn't know better than to make deals with demons.

So Tendou had gained shapeshifting abilities, and in return, he had to follow all of Semi's orders for ten years. At the end of those ten years, however, Tendou's contract would end, his powers would disappear, and he would be freed from obeying Semi.

Somewhere along the way, he'd become friends with the demon who followed him around, telling him to fulfill petty orders like getting him ice cream. And once Tendou had friends, and started playing volleyball, he became more comfortable in his own skin, and he had eventually stopped shapeshifting into a dog or a cat or a bird or someone who looked like a classmate to get away from the kids who teased him. And after the last time he'd shifted, Semi had stopped giving him orders he felt compelled to obey.

And some time between becoming comfortable with himself and the end of that ten years that was apparently approaching much faster than he'd realized, he'd fallen in love with that demon. They'd only been dating for a few months, but Tendou knew he didn't ever want to be separated from Semi. 

Unfortunately, Semi seemed to think that staying together once their contract ended wasn't an option.

"Why would I do that?" Tendou demanded. Semi blinked up at him.

"Once the contract is over, you'd have no reason to keep me around. You don't shapeshift anymore, so there's no reason for you to renew the contract, so..." 

"No reason to... Are you stupid, Eita?" Tendou snapped. "Contract or no contract, I want you. I don't shapeshift anymore because you helped me feel comfortable just being me. Maybe you don't realize how important you are to me."

"I do," Semi assured him. "I just also realize that you have a chance at a normal life. You can be happy, be human. You can find a human who will spend their life with you. You don't need a demon hanging around."

"But I do," Tendou replied. "I do need a demon hanging around. I need you, Eita. I...I  _love_ you." Semi gaped at him. There was one word they hadn't said to each other, and that was 'love'. Tendou leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Semi's cheekbone, right below his eye, then trailed soft kisses down his cheek until he could press his lips to Semi's. Semi was still for a second, stunned, then suddenly surged upward, returning the kiss with more ferocity. Semi kissed Tendou like he was starving, like he was dying and Tendou's mouth was what would save him. Tendou slid his arms around Semi's waist and gently maneuvered him so Semi was on his lap. 

"I love you, too," Semi whispered when he finally pulled back to let them both breathe. "But-"

"No buts," Tendou interrupted. "Except yours," he added playfully, trying to lighten the mood as he slid his hands down to Semi's ass and squeezed. Semi let out a little squeak of surprise, then grumbled and swatted lightly at Tendou's head. Tendou lifted one hand and caught Semi's wrist, bringing the demon's knuckles to his lips and kissing them. 

"Satori," Semi murmured, resting his forehead on Tendou's. "Humans and demons don't age the same way. I don't want to watch you get old and die. I don't want you to waste your time with a demon when you could find a perfectly good human to-"

"I love you, Eita, but sometimes you really don't listen," Tendou sighed. "I love you. I don't care if you think I'm wasting my time. As long as you're willing to stay with me, I'm not going to drive you away. Besides, isn't there some demon magic or something you can use to fix the aging thing?" Semi's crimson eyes widened. 

"Satori, no. I won't..."

"You mentioned renewing the contract. It sounded like you'd stay if I did that," Tendou said. "I'll renew the contract. I'll go back to following your orders. I know I'm just a human, and I can't offer much, but whatever you want from me, take it. All I want in return is for you to stay with me a little longer." Semi stared at him. 

"I don't want you to follow orders. And if you renewed the contract, there would be no going back. You'd be on the path to becoming a demon, and you'd miss out on your normal human life," Semi protested. "I can't do that to you."

"Even if I want you to?" Tendou replied. "Becoming a demon? Sign me up. Then those brats who brought you and me together will be right, and I will be a monster," he added playfully. 

"Oh, so demons are monsters now?" Semi huffed, even as worry lingered at the back of his mind. He wanted Tendou. He wanted to make Tendou a demon, so they could stay together forever, which Tendou's current human lifespan wouldn't allow. He wanted to give Tendou everything, anything it would take to make him happy. But a life as a demon wasn't something to take lightly, especially not when it meant Tendou would outlive his family and friends. Semi didn't want to push that kind of grief and loneliness on him, even if Semi would be there to help him through it. He didn't want Tendou to have any regrets. 

"Sure, lots of people think so," Tendou agreed easily. "But they don't realize how  _cute_ and  _beautiful_ and  _amazing_ some 'monsters' are," he added, kissing Semi's forehead, then the tip of his nose, then his lips. There was a pause, and then Tendou murmured, "You know what I want from you for my birthday?" 

"An in-depth discussion of contracts and why you really shouldn't say you're willing to become a demon so easily?" Semi asked with hopefulness that was only half pretend. Tendou huffed.

"No. I want you," Tendou informed him. "I want whatever you'll give me, however much time you'll let me have." 

"That sounds like you're asking for birthday sex," Semi snickered. Tendou wiggled his eyebrows. 

"Well, that too, but I meant that-"

"I know what you meant," Semi assured him. "But here's the thing you don't understand. You're human, so you offering to renew the contract, to start becoming a demon, that's giving up your humanity, and that's something I never wanted for you. I want you to be happy, and I want you to be happy as yourself."

"Being with you makes me happy," Tendou said firmly. Semi shook his head and fought back a sudden yawn. "Let's get some sleep. We can talk about this more tomorrow, okay?" Semi nodded, and Tendou smiled softly before pushing all of their study materials off the bed in a heap. Semi started to protest, but Tendou stopped him with a quick kiss. "Tomorrow. Or, later today," he corrected himself, noticing that it was after midnight. Semi tangled his fingers in Tendou's hair and pulled him down for a longer, deeper kiss. 

"Happy birthday, Satori," Semi said, a little breathlessly. Tendou grinned and nuzzled his boyfriend's cheek. 

"So do I get my present?" Tendou teased. 

"I'm going to push you off the bed," Semi warned. Tendou laughed and settled beside Semi. 

"You're all I really want, even if I can't offer you much in return," Tendou murmured, almost to himself, as he reached up to brush a stray lock of hair away from Semi's face, then let his fingers slide through the pale, black-tipped locks to stroke one of the horns on his boyfriend's head. 

"You're offering your love, your humanity, your  _life_ in return," Semi replied, watching as Tendou's eyes closed. "That's more than I would ever ask of you."

"Good thing you're not asking; I'm just giving it," Tendou mumbled, fighting back a yawn. Semi shifted, dropped a soft, fluttering kiss on each of Tendou's eyelids, then one on his mouth, just because he could.

"It's  _your_ birthday, not mine," Semi reminded him. Tendou didn't respond, having fallen asleep, still smiling at the kisses from Semi. 


End file.
